How
Does Metaphor Resolve Conflict?
How
Clients Think
and
How Mediators Think About Mediation
as
A Way to Affect Clients' Thinking
This
web site explores what some
believe is at the core of the mediation process -- changing how problems or
conflicts are thought about.
In order to resolve a dispute,
problem or dilemma, one must think about it differently, see it at a
different angle, on a different level, pay attention to alternative aspects of
it, and reorganize one's conception of it.
The mediator is someone who assists
- not only by organizing the task, providing a suitable environment, and
balancing the emotional tone - but especially by helping clients think about issues in a changed way.
Although there are many ways to
bring about a changed way of thinking, metaphor may be the most powerful
and flexible. I believe this is true because metaphor is not just a
linguistic or literary device. In fact, it defines subjective reality and is at the heart of our
learning and thinking process. Metaphor
is inevitable as we conceptualize our experience, explore the unknown and make sense out of ourselves and others.
Changed metaphors have the power to create a changed reality.
General Explanation of Metaphor.
